One day into a 72-hour ceasefire between the country’s warring generals intended to enable for the delivery of badly needed aid, an international donors’ conference for Sudan was scheduled to begin in Geneva on Monday.
After a bitter power struggle between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the army has been engaged in combat with paramilitary forces since April 15.
The battle, which has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and forced two million people from their homes, including at least 528,000 who fled overseas, has seen numerous truces agreed upon and broken.
The most recent truce went into effect at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Sunday, according to the mediators, who also announced that the two sides had agreed to forgo attacks while allowing for freedom of movement and the distribution of aid.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America announce the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a ceasefire throughout Sudan for a period of 72 hours,” the Saudi foreign ministry stated.
Witnesses in Khartoum said the situation was “calm”.
“We want a full ceasefire,” Sami Omar, who lives in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, told AFP.
“A truce is not sufficient for us to return to our lives. They may stop fighting, but the RSF will not leave the homes (they occupy).”
Along with a number of state partners, the UN in Geneva was getting ready to host an international pledging conference for Sudan. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, was among those slated to speak at the meeting on Monday afternoon.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated in a statement that donors were expected to “announce financial commitments to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis and reiterate the need for the parties to the conflict in Sudan to adhere to their obligations under International Humanitarian Law.”
“To date, this year’s revised Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan has received less than 16 per cent of the US$2.57 billion required, while the Regional Refugee Response Plan for $470 million is just 17 per cent funded.”
